Tulasi Puja (Worship of the Sacred Tulasi Plant)

It is difficult for the embodied soul to see the transcendent Lord. In the Tulasi plant it is relatively easy to see the Lord's ever-present grace. Yet a person may choose to doubt or to cultivate faith. Tulasi helps a person in the development of spiritual consciousness and the attainment of faith. The Tulasi plant has been held sacred for centuries by the people of various religious traditions. This is best exemplified by the Hindu people of India who regard the Tulasi plant as a living Goddess. Most Temples in India keep Tulasi plants as do most Hindu homes. The Hindu culture is very nature oriented, and the Transcendent Lord is worshiped through His manifestation in nature. Hundreds of plants are regarded by Hindus as especially sacred. There is hardly any other plant which even comes close to the level of Tulasi for Hindus. The Thais have their own cultivars of Tulasi which the Buddhist also hold sacred. The Eastern Orthodox Christians also regard Tulasi as sacred and use it in the consecration of Holy Water. To simply smell the fragrant oils in the leaves of a Tulasi plant uplifts the soul and begins to draw the mind into a deep state of peace and meditative awareness. With all the healing properties that Tulasi possesses, it is no wonder that the Sages have identified this particular plant as Sacred. It is easy for even the least intuitive and most skeptical to appreciate the effects that Tulasi has on the physical anatomy. Tulasi is like Amritam (Ambrosia) to heal many dis-eases. Its healing powers are rare in this world. This is a visible manifestation of the Lord's power of healing. The greatness of the Lord is beyond comprehension and the manifold healing capacities of Tulasi are similarly beyond comprehension. When a person looks at a Tualsi plant, it is quite easy to extend this unique healing potency to imagine that there is a great force beyond which empowers all. Like the Sun is a meditation tool for the Lord's jyoti (radiance), Tulasi is a meditation tool for the Lord's bheshaja (power of healing). Tulasi is surely an embodiment of Dhanvantari (the Lord of Healing). The Sages, in their wisdom about the nature of the ego which binds people to the world, knew that people have difficulty seeing beyond the physical realm. They knew that seeing the spiritual reality beyond the transient aspects of their being would free people from the suffering of the body and mind. But how can people see what is beyond their comprehension? In the great wisdom and compassion the Sages have selected certain physical objects which are large or great and used them as examples, sign posts, and meditation tools. They say that the Lord is like Koti Surya (ten million Suns). This may be difficult to imagine, but we begin to grasp this reality when we meditate upon the Sun. God is the Light of light, and the Medicine or medicine. The healing power of Tulasi is great among herbs, but the key to Her sacred nature is that She is a living sign for Dhanvantari (the Divine power of Healing). When impressed by the magnitude of Her powers to heal the dis-eases of men, it becomes easy to extend these powers by many million times. The mind cannot imagine, so we must allow the experience to come. Find the power of the power. It arises from beyond the process of thought and from within knowing. Meditate on the Sacred Tulasi plant, and allow Her Sacred image to lead your mind to the highest realization. Love and serve Her in all things, and She will bless you in your efforts. The regular practice of Tulasi Puja helps to calm the mind and to make a person aware of the subconscious mental vaasanas which bind him. Puja reveals the binding subconscious thoughts and emotions, but it also helps the spiritual seeker to work through these attachments, to transform their perception of who they are, and alter the events of their lives for the better. Puja brings Divine light to our karmas which literally melts the darkness in the heart and aura. It replaces our limited and limiting attachments to the body and the mind with supernatural awareness. As we bow to the Lord with devotion, our faults are released as we become filled with the Divine qualities. This takes much time and much practice, but happens surely for the person who practices with faith. Tulasi puja is the ideal saadhana (spiritual practice) because it is easy to have faith in such a living embodiment of the Divine power of healing. Doing Puja to Tulasi is like doing Puja in the presences of a Satguru. It is said that doing spiritual practices in the presence of a Guru greatly empowers a person's efforts, and the same is said of doing spiritual practice in the presence of a Tulasi plant. Tulasi puja helps a person to develop awareness of the Divine Shakti and the Lord's transcendent being in his own experience. This is the sacred nature of Tulasi Devi. Tulasi puja is important for humanity now, because it reconnects people to nature and teaches them respect for nature. Many people have become disconnected from nature, in the same way they are disconnected from their own nature. They think and act against nature, and nature acts against them. In recent years, there has been an increase in storms and natural disasters. This has been the unconscious will of the people. The turbulent weather conditions are nothing more than the macrocosmic manifestation of the peoples' turbulent minds. To bring peace to the world each person must find peace within. Tulasi Devi helps people greatly in these efforts.Tulasi teaches compassion for life and nature. The Tulasi plant is a living breathing being. It is difficult for people to remember that when the leaves of a plant are plucked, that the plant feels pain, or that when a plant is cared for with love, that the plant feels joy. These qualities are more noticeable in the Sacred Tulasi plant. She noticeably cares for the people who care for Her. Plants are tapped into a higher realm of consciousness compared to people. All plants effortlessly communicate with other plants throughout the world. Plants have easy access to immeasurable knowledge and power. Perhaps this is because they do not have the highly developed mind that humans do to stand in the way of their intuitive knowing. This becomes clear when worshiping Tulasi, because Tulasi possesses a rare power to manifest this power and knowing within human experience. First the mind begins to calm, and then questions are answered, dis-eases are mysteriously healed, and spiritual awareness begins to blossom. These miracles are possible with daily Puja to Tulasi Mata. People may not believe this, but they do not have to take the word of the Rishis (Sages), because the practice itself will reveal this Truth to the faithful. If a person asks with faith for Mother Tulasi to show Her grace and power, it will be undeniable. She is not like other plants. She has the power to heal, bless, and dispel all darkness from the hearts of Her devotees. When these Divine powers are seen living in the Tulasi Plant, it will be easier for people to begin to understand their own Divine nature. May the Goddess Tulasi bless those who practice this Puja with awareness of the Prema (absolute Love), both transcendent and omnipresent, which serves all being with indefatigable persistence. May She fill their hearts with Love for Her. May She bless them with the vision of Her transcendent grace dwelling in their own hearts and pervading the universe; which yearns to be realized from within itself; which is the sure solution for all the world's suffering; which is seen embodied by the Great Goddess Tulasi. May they steadily achieve Her grace as they humble themselves to Her service.